How Black & Black turns complexity into predictable growth
Scaling Enterprise Commerce at Pace — A Proven Architecture Playbook
Enterprise
Enterprises don’t just “launch” ecommerce sites; they engineer living ecosystems.
When every region, channel, and SKU is intertwined, one weak link can stall expansion, drain budgets, and bruise the brand. This playbook distils our decade of large-scale builds into ten practical moves—each tested in the wild with global retailers, beauty conglomerates, and industrial manufacturers. Follow them sequentially or cherry-pick where your own stack creaks.
This is your blueprint. Built for complexity. Built for growth.
Business-First Strategy and Architecture: Aligning Technology with Business Goals
Start with outcomes, design backwards
Success starts with clarity. Every enterprise engagement begins by reverse-engineering the outcomes a business needs. We define the architecture based on workflows, customer journeys, sales models, and operational needs. We blueprint the business model: revenue goals, fulfilment flows, regulatory constraints, and change-management capacity.
During discovery workshops we generally consider:
This planning stage is critical to project success.
The result is reduced rework, accelerated timelines, and ensures technology decisions are always aligned with business goals across all stakeholder teams. From CTO to CFO the teams can all rally behind the roadmap we create in this process.
------------------------------------------
eCommerce Platform Selection: Choose once and scale for years
Pick the wrong platform and every team—from merchandising to finance—ends up firefighting instead of growing. We start each engagement by mapping business outcomes, then score platforms against the factors that actually move the needle:
Black & Black Case Study — USM Modular Furniture (Americas)
When Switzerland-based USM decided to move into the US market, they needed a website that their lean North-American team could manage with limited resources. We chose Shopify Plus as the platform because of it's lower total cost of ownership and ease-of-use.
Challenge
Solution
Impact
Results
USM entered the US market with a storefront their three-person DTC team can update in minutes, while the Swiss finance team sees every order and customer data in Salesforce as if it originated at home—no friction, all upside.
------------------------------------------
Composable Commerce: Swap parts, not platforms.
Composable commerce is how modern enterprise brands can stay agile. API-first systems allow brands to change tools and iterate without re-platforming their entire ecommerce ecosystem. You gain speed, flexibility, and future-proofing.
Black & Black Composable Case Study — ŌURA
ŌURA, the Finnish health-tech behind the hit Oura Ring, turns 20 + finger-captured biometrics into daily wellness insights. To date, the brand has shipped 2.5 million rings and secured a $5.2 billion valuation with its $200 million Series D in 2024.
OURA approached Black & Black with the challenge to redesign their frontend website experience and create a modern, composable tech-stack.
Challenge
Solution
Impact
------------------------------------------
Headless Frontends
Design freedom, page-speed wins, lower bounce rates
We routinely ship React/Next.js or Hydrogen storefronts on top of composable cores.
Separating frontend from backend unlocks flexibility and futureproofs from potential technical debt. Your creative team can iterate quickly while your backend stays stable.
We’ve implemented Hydrogen, Next.js, and React-based frontends that empower rapid brand evolution across seasonal launches, product drops, and promotions, all while improving load times and conversion.
Black & Black Headless Case Study — Splits59 Activewear
Born in Los Angeles, Splits59 crafts premium activewear that fuses elite-grade performance fabrics with runway-calibre aesthetics. To match the brand’s ambition, Black & Black orchestrated a leap from a conventional Shopify Liquid site to a future-proof, headless commerce engine.
The result? A commerce experience as sleek and high-velocity as the gear itself—poised to scale with every studio session, street run, and global pop-up Splits59 conquers next.
Challenge
• A dated Shopify Liquid theme had become code-bloated, slow, and rigid—hindering campaign roll-outs and frustrating mobile shoppers.
• Content editors needed developer help for even minor layout tweaks, stalling product-drop cadence.
• Page speeds lagged industry benchmarks, eroding SEO and conversion.
Solution
• Mobile-first architecture
◦ Re-platformed the storefront to Next.js on Vercel for edge-served, sub-second loads.
◦ Introduced responsive design tokens and a touch-friendly component library so every element renders flawlessly from 4-inch screens to 4K monitors.
• Navigation & discovery revamp
◦ Collapsed 11 menu items into three intent-based paths—*New Arrivals
Impact
------------------------------------------
Integration Layer: ERP & Middleware
Finance, logistics, procurement, customer experience — moving together in lock-step.
Your commerce platform doesn’t live alone. ERP integrations connect finance, logistics, inventory, and procurement etc into a harmonious ecosystem that works together. We have deep experience with complex systems integrations that create efficiencies and drive business growth.
Black & Black Case Study - A KAO Group leading haircare brand
For KAO Group’s D2C initiative, we migrated a leading luxury haircare brand from SAP Commerce Cloud (Hybris) to Shopify Plus, architecting a composable commerce stack with AWS middleware and SAP ERP for fully automated order-to-cash processes.
Challenge
• Retire a heavy SAP Commerce Cloud (Hybris) front-end without disturbing the proven SAP ERP.
• Orchestrate multi-warehouse fulfilment across 5 EMEA hubs with localized payment rules.
• Eliminate manual reconciliation and fraud checks
• Open new social-commerce channels.
Solution
• Composable re-platform - Migrated storefront to Shopify Plus, freeing the brand team to launch campaigns in hours, not sprints.
• Event-driven middleware on AWS
◦ Secure REST + Webhook layer validates every payload with HMAC-SHA256 before routing to SAP.
◦ Serverless functions fan-out inventory, invoicing, and financial postings in real time.
• Custom Shopify flows for fraud screening, data validation, and region-specific business rules—executed before orders hit AWS.
• Omnichannel enablement
◦ Activated Facebook Shop, Instagram Shopping, and Shop App via Shopify channel APIs for frictionless catalog sync.
Impact
• 100 % automated order-to-cash; finance closes books two days faster each month.
• Order-processing time slashed from 15 min → under 2 min; 99.9 % data accuracy logged by middleware monitors.
• 40 % lower total cost of ownership compared with the legacy Hybris stack.
• Social-commerce launch drove a 23 % lift in first-time purchases within one quarter.
• Architecture scales horizontally—no performance dip during dual Black-Friday peaks in North America and Europe.
------------------------------------------
Performance & DevOps
Fast pages, ironclad uptime.
Speed, uptime, and scalability are non-negotiable. We implement DevOps pipelines, global CDNs, and serverless infrastructure to ensure enterprise performance.
Challenge
• Global sites must remain fast and resilient during traffic surges.
• Manual QA and one-off hot-fixes risked storefront glitches.
• Malicious bots were scraping pricing and spiking bandwidth bills.
Solution
• Multi-environment CI/CD (dev → QA → staging → prod) with automated functional + visual tests per merge.
• Zero-downtime releases via blue-green switches & feature flags.
• Cloudflare Origin-to-Origin (O2O) on Shopify’s enterprise tier:
◦ Bot Management, DDoS defence, rate-limiting, edge caching.
Impact
------------------------------------------
Measurement & Optimization
If it isn’t tracked, it can’t improve.
We wire every build for data first, then insight, then action:
Black & Black Case Study - Nili Lotan Business Intelligence Dashboard
Challenge
• The premium fashion house needed a single view of margin and markdown efficiency across DTC, boutiques, and wholesale EDI feeds.
• Leadership wanted KPI “health lights” on mobile, not static decks.
Solution
• Ingested Shopify, Google analytics, Google Ads Manager and other sources into Google Data Studio then surfaced curated metrics (gross margin %, return rate, sell-through) into a custom business intelligence dashboard
Impact
------------------------------------------
Enterprises don’t just “launch” ecommerce sites; they engineer living ecosystems.
When every region, channel, and SKU is intertwined, one weak link can stall expansion, drain budgets, and bruise the brand. This playbook distils our decade of large-scale builds into ten practical moves—each tested in the wild with global retailers, beauty conglomerates, and industrial manufacturers. Follow them sequentially or cherry-pick where your own stack creaks.
This is your blueprint. Built for complexity. Built for growth.
Business-First Strategy and Architecture: Aligning Technology with Business Goals
Start with outcomes, design backwards
Success starts with clarity. Every enterprise engagement begins by reverse-engineering the outcomes a business needs. We define the architecture based on workflows, customer journeys, sales models, and operational needs. We blueprint the business model: revenue goals, fulfilment flows, regulatory constraints, and change-management capacity.
During discovery workshops we generally consider:
This planning stage is critical to project success.
The result is reduced rework, accelerated timelines, and ensures technology decisions are always aligned with business goals across all stakeholder teams. From CTO to CFO the teams can all rally behind the roadmap we create in this process.
------------------------------------------
eCommerce Platform Selection: Choose once and scale for years
Pick the wrong platform and every team—from merchandising to finance—ends up firefighting instead of growing. We start each engagement by mapping business outcomes, then score platforms against the factors that actually move the needle:
Black & Black Case Study — USM Modular Furniture (Americas)
When Switzerland-based USM decided to move into the US market, they needed a website that their lean North-American team could manage with limited resources. We chose Shopify Plus as the platform because of it's lower total cost of ownership and ease-of-use.
Challenge
Solution
Impact
Results
USM entered the US market with a storefront their three-person DTC team can update in minutes, while the Swiss finance team sees every order and customer data in Salesforce as if it originated at home—no friction, all upside.
------------------------------------------
Composable Commerce: Swap parts, not platforms.
Composable commerce is how modern enterprise brands can stay agile. API-first systems allow brands to change tools and iterate without re-platforming their entire ecommerce ecosystem. You gain speed, flexibility, and future-proofing.
Black & Black Composable Case Study — ŌURA
ŌURA, the Finnish health-tech behind the hit Oura Ring, turns 20 + finger-captured biometrics into daily wellness insights. To date, the brand has shipped 2.5 million rings and secured a $5.2 billion valuation with its $200 million Series D in 2024.
OURA approached Black & Black with the challenge to redesign their frontend website experience and create a modern, composable tech-stack.
Challenge
Solution
Impact
------------------------------------------
Headless Frontends
Design freedom, page-speed wins, lower bounce rates
We routinely ship React/Next.js or Hydrogen storefronts on top of composable cores.
Separating frontend from backend unlocks flexibility and futureproofs from potential technical debt. Your creative team can iterate quickly while your backend stays stable.
We’ve implemented Hydrogen, Next.js, and React-based frontends that empower rapid brand evolution across seasonal launches, product drops, and promotions, all while improving load times and conversion.
Black & Black Headless Case Study — Splits59 Activewear
Born in Los Angeles, Splits59 crafts premium activewear that fuses elite-grade performance fabrics with runway-calibre aesthetics. To match the brand’s ambition, Black & Black orchestrated a leap from a conventional Shopify Liquid site to a future-proof, headless commerce engine.
The result? A commerce experience as sleek and high-velocity as the gear itself—poised to scale with every studio session, street run, and global pop-up Splits59 conquers next.
Challenge
• A dated Shopify Liquid theme had become code-bloated, slow, and rigid—hindering campaign roll-outs and frustrating mobile shoppers.
• Content editors needed developer help for even minor layout tweaks, stalling product-drop cadence.
• Page speeds lagged industry benchmarks, eroding SEO and conversion.
Solution
• Mobile-first architecture
◦ Re-platformed the storefront to Next.js on Vercel for edge-served, sub-second loads.
◦ Introduced responsive design tokens and a touch-friendly component library so every element renders flawlessly from 4-inch screens to 4K monitors.
• Navigation & discovery revamp
◦ Collapsed 11 menu items into three intent-based paths—*New Arrivals
Impact
------------------------------------------
Integration Layer: ERP & Middleware
Finance, logistics, procurement, customer experience — moving together in lock-step.
Your commerce platform doesn’t live alone. ERP integrations connect finance, logistics, inventory, and procurement etc into a harmonious ecosystem that works together. We have deep experience with complex systems integrations that create efficiencies and drive business growth.
Black & Black Case Study - A KAO Group leading haircare brand
For KAO Group’s D2C initiative, we migrated a leading luxury haircare brand from SAP Commerce Cloud (Hybris) to Shopify Plus, architecting a composable commerce stack with AWS middleware and SAP ERP for fully automated order-to-cash processes.
Challenge
• Retire a heavy SAP Commerce Cloud (Hybris) front-end without disturbing the proven SAP ERP.
• Orchestrate multi-warehouse fulfilment across 5 EMEA hubs with localized payment rules.
• Eliminate manual reconciliation and fraud checks
• Open new social-commerce channels.
Solution
• Composable re-platform - Migrated storefront to Shopify Plus, freeing the brand team to launch campaigns in hours, not sprints.
• Event-driven middleware on AWS
◦ Secure REST + Webhook layer validates every payload with HMAC-SHA256 before routing to SAP.
◦ Serverless functions fan-out inventory, invoicing, and financial postings in real time.
• Custom Shopify flows for fraud screening, data validation, and region-specific business rules—executed before orders hit AWS.
• Omnichannel enablement
◦ Activated Facebook Shop, Instagram Shopping, and Shop App via Shopify channel APIs for frictionless catalog sync.
Impact
• 100 % automated order-to-cash; finance closes books two days faster each month.
• Order-processing time slashed from 15 min → under 2 min; 99.9 % data accuracy logged by middleware monitors.
• 40 % lower total cost of ownership compared with the legacy Hybris stack.
• Social-commerce launch drove a 23 % lift in first-time purchases within one quarter.
• Architecture scales horizontally—no performance dip during dual Black-Friday peaks in North America and Europe.
------------------------------------------
Performance & DevOps
Fast pages, ironclad uptime.
Speed, uptime, and scalability are non-negotiable. We implement DevOps pipelines, global CDNs, and serverless infrastructure to ensure enterprise performance.
Challenge
• Global sites must remain fast and resilient during traffic surges.
• Manual QA and one-off hot-fixes risked storefront glitches.
• Malicious bots were scraping pricing and spiking bandwidth bills.
Solution
• Multi-environment CI/CD (dev → QA → staging → prod) with automated functional + visual tests per merge.
• Zero-downtime releases via blue-green switches & feature flags.
• Cloudflare Origin-to-Origin (O2O) on Shopify’s enterprise tier:
◦ Bot Management, DDoS defence, rate-limiting, edge caching.
Impact
------------------------------------------
Measurement & Optimization
If it isn’t tracked, it can’t improve.
We wire every build for data first, then insight, then action:
Black & Black Case Study - Nili Lotan Business Intelligence Dashboard
Challenge
• The premium fashion house needed a single view of margin and markdown efficiency across DTC, boutiques, and wholesale EDI feeds.
• Leadership wanted KPI “health lights” on mobile, not static decks.
Solution
• Ingested Shopify, Google analytics, Google Ads Manager and other sources into Google Data Studio then surfaced curated metrics (gross margin %, return rate, sell-through) into a custom business intelligence dashboard
Impact
------------------------------------------
